The Coronavirus

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Two politicians from very different countries, both of COVID-19:

A reminder on how dangerous COVID-19: it can kill the rich and powerful even if they live in the most disciplined society that people generally think free.


Yuichiro Hata (羽田 雄一郎, Hata Yūichirō, 29 July 1967 – 27 December 2020) was a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. A native of Setagaya, Tokyo, and graduate of Tamagawa University, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1999, a position he retained until his death in 2020. Hata was the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism from 4 June 2012 to 26 December 2012. He was the son of the late Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata.

Hata was a member of the Itochu Foundation during his time as a student at Tamagawa University. He graduated from the univeristy with a Bachelor of Arts in March 1993. Early in his career Hata was a secretary to his father, Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata, during the latter's tenure in the House of Representatives.[1]

Hata served as member of the House of Councillors in the Diet beginning with his election in 1999.[2] He was affiliated with the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) after the merger of the Democratic Party and Kibō no Tō, and finally Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) after the DPP's dissolution.[3] On 4 June 2012 Hata was appointed to be the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.[1] Following the loss of the Democratic Party of Japan to the Liberal Democratic Party in the 2012 Japanese general election, Noda and his Cabinet, including Hata, were succeeded by Shinzo Abe and his Cabinet on 26 December 2012.[4] In all, he served as a legislator for five terms and was the initial Secretary-General of the Upper House caucus of the CDP at the time of his death in December 2020.[5]



Generally, Hata was part of Japan's center-left political parties. He was a member of the DPJ and later, the CDP, both of which are center-left parties. He held positions consistent with the platform of those parties. He was opposed to the revision of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution that prohibits Japan from going to war. After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, he became critical of Japan's use of nuclear power, stating that the country should aim to get rid of its plants eventually and that the country should not support nuclear projects in other countries.[8] Hata was a supporter of agricultural protectionism in regards to fair trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.[9][/url]



Yuichiro Hata died in Tokyo on 27 December 2020 at 53 from COVID-19 while being transported to University of Tokyo Hospital.[2] He is the first Japanese legislator to die of the disease.[5][url=<br /><br /><span data-scefontsize=x-small style=font-size:x-small color=#000000 face=sans-serif]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuichiro_Hata

Elected to the US House of Representatives... died of COVID-19 before he could be inaugurated. Died at age 41.

Luke Joshua Letlow (December 6, 1979 – December 29, 2020)[1][2] was an American politician from the state of Louisiana. A Republican, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 5th congressional district in 2020 but died of COVID-19 before he could take office. Before his election to Congress, Letlow served as chief of staff to retiring Representative Ralph Abraham.

Letlow worked for Bobby Jindal during Jindal's tenure in the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 1st congressional district as his congressional district director from 2005 to 2008, and during Jindal's first term as governor of Louisiana as director of intergovernmental affairs from 2008 to 2010.[6] He then worked as director of government and community affairs for QEP Resources, an energy company based in Denver.[7][1] Letlow returned to Louisiana in 2014 to serve as campaign manager for Ralph Abraham during his election for Louisiana's 5th congressional district.[4] He served as Abraham's chief of staff during his three-term tenure.[5]


On March 9, 2020, after Abraham honored his pledge not to serve more than three terms, Letlow announced his candidacy.[8] Abraham publicly endorsed him concurrent with Letlow's announcement.[5] In the nonpartisan blanket primary on November 3, Letlow finished in first place with 33% of the vote, while State Representative Lance Harris, a fellow Republican, finished second with 17%.[9] Letlow won the December 5 runoff election with 62% of the vote.[10][11]

Per Louisiana state law, a special election will be required to elect a candidate to represent the congressional district. The district, which includes much of Eastern Louisiana, is predominantly Republican.[12]

Letlow lived in Start, Louisiana, with his wife, Julia, and their two children.[5]
On December 18, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Letlow announced that he had tested positive for the virus. He was hospitalized in Monroe.[13] After his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to the intensive care unit of Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport on December 23.[14] On December 29, Letlow died of complications of COVID-19 at the age of 41, five days before he was scheduled to be sworn into office.[2][13] The hospital reported that he had no underlying conditions when admitted but died in the ICU of a heart attack after a procedure.[8]

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-staff on the day of Congressman-elect Letlow’s funeral.[15]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luke_Letlow